Bringing In The New Year Craftin'

I hope everyone is having fun preppin' for the New Year. Me? I'm hunkered down at home with my son...and while he is getting the most of the last of Winter Break - I'm paper craftin'!

Right now however, I'm stuck regarding my card inserts. Since I missed sending out Christmas cards to some, I am sending out New Years Greetings - and I am kinda torn as to how I'm going to "frame" the cards on the cover. I think I know what I'm going to do .. just have to work it out in my head a bit more.

So wherever you are, whatever you have planned - I hope you all have a SAFE celebration!!


Edited at 1:53pm to Add: Psssssstttttt!!!!! I finished them

Happy New Year!!

My wish is that each of us continue to find the creative being inside, and share those gifts among many. You never know if something you have shared is the spark that lights someone else's creativity. May all of you have the safest and happiest New Year!...and may all your dreams come true.

Playing With Polymer Clay

Like everyone else, I am looking for creative and unique ways to store things. One of the places in my house that is totally out of control - is of course - my craft area. My first instinct is always to go to the dollar store, Target or Walmart clearance aisles ... and now a new place to feed my creative hunger - Etsy. I neded a container for my growing collection of markers...but I also wanted that container to be different - and fitting my style of creative artistic eclectic and funky.

Well, while I'm pulling things out of corners and dusty boxes in my quest to organize - I see a bunch of polymer clay that I hadn't used in EONS!!! So of course, I get totally distracted and sit down and start playing with it before realizing that I had no time, no inspiration - yeah okay - NO CLUE as to what I was going to do with this hunk of clay in front of me. The Frugal Fannie in my=e refused to throw it away though, I mean come on, do ANY pack rats you know of just freely toss anything away??

...and then I got and AHA!! moment. I went under the sink and snatched a jar that was sitting in my I'm Going To Paint Something Fabulous On This box...and created the following:


I LOVED it...and my son gave it a big thumbs up. I know it probably looks funny, but to me, its unique - I didn't spend a dime - and it fits my criteria of creative artistic eclectic funky!~

Goodies From Maya Road Close Out Sale

I love, love, love when Maya Road has their close-out sales, and always happy to catch it, as the stock sells out quickly.

Here are all the goodies I received...though many of these pieces - like the acrylic/plastic birds, I haven't a clue as to what to do with.

Merry Christmas All

Here's wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. My only resolution for 2010 is to fully embrace my style of art...to try not to be discouraged when I hit a block - or look at others work and "wish" I was as good. My Christmas Angel is in the beginning stages, and I promise myself to "Just Paint" ...
and be happy with my own results.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

When The Best Is Brought Out In People...

...it makes all the difference.

Since my husband and I separated, there are a lot of little things that I never did - that I do - not happily - but I do.

The blizzard that ripped through Northern VA was one of those things where I would have ooohed and ahhed at the snow, and made hot chocolate while my husband went out and shoveled my truck out the drifts.

I put it off allllll day, knowing that I only had one shovel, a bad back, an asthmatic child who couldn't help me a lot ... and me.

Went outside with my shovel and my broom, to see a tiny brigade of husbands digging out not only their own cars and the cars of their wives....but ME!!!...and a couple of other Moms who are single. All I had to do was take my broom and get the snow off the truck.

Thank you seemed so insufficient, but they all smiled and waved and kept shoveling, telling me not to TOUCH a shovel as they didn't want me to hurt my back.

I went inside and came back out with 16 ounce piping hot Styrofoam cups of hot chocolate..and you would have thought I'd whipped out cash, they were so appreciative.

As many times as I moan and groan about missing the camaraderie and neighborly spirit of my block in Queens where I grew up ... I realized that I completely missed that I'd found the same thing right here in Northern VA.

I don't see these gentlemen a whole lot, as we all have different schedules and busy lives, but that didn't seem to matter a whole lot, as they helped a newly single Mom and her son out yesterday.

The camaraderie and neighborly spirit has been here all along.

Non Traditional Colors For Christmas Cards

Since we were snowed in today, I decided to work on some more cards. I dont' have a Santa stamp, so I used prints of a Santa that I sketched a while back. I love the colors that Classy Coordinates has in their Nov and Dec paks - I'm happy with the way these came out.

It's A Snow Day!!!!!

It has been snowing since 9:00 last night ... and it looks like Northern Virginia will be getting 2 feet of snow but tomorrow night.

Looooove it. I have printed off mailing labels and scheduled delivery pickups for Monday (poor postman). I had a short week next week anyway - and I can work from home, so this is going to be a good thing!!LOL

I don't shovel - thankfully where we live they shovel for us, but I have been throwing salt down. My son took his sled and disappeared about an hour ago, so I have the fireplace going and getting ready to wrap some gifts.

I hope everyone is safe...and dry, warm and toasty!!


LET IT SNOW!!!!!

I Do It Every Year

....I find myself painting orders up until the last minute. Thank GOODNESS that Christmas is next Friday - one more week!!! That gives me at least until Monday to paint 6 more glass orders, pack em' up - and mail PRIORITY.

When will I learn??

The Only Thing I Will Say About Tiger

...an article asked what he could do to save his fame and popularity ...

My response:

I don't think he should do anything. I think he needs to take a good look at himself and WHY he did the things he did to destroy his marriage. Unlike the media, I don't think his life is over. I don't think what he did should be examined and judged by the entire world - and contrary to the belief of many of my friends - I think he can recover and add value to this world. I think Tiger has been headed down this path for prob most of his life, being held to such a high standard it seems from the time he stepped on to the stage at 4 on the Merv Griffin show with his father. When your parents push you and push their dreams onto you, and you carry their torch - where does it leave you? I think he's human, and I think it shouldn't matter about the fame or popularity that he is losing - I think he needs to save himself so he doesn't lose himself. I still think he has a lot that he can contribute to this world, beyond golf.

So much suffering in this world ... he is still luckier than most.

Christmas Cards for 2009

I have yet to make a scrapbook page - but boy, do I love making cards. These 4 cards will be what I'm sending out this year. I went for non-traditional colors, using Tiare's November 2009 Classy Pak Plush Kit.

The Santa, is from a sketch I did a couple of years ago. I printed off different sizes of the Santa face, and also tried sepia tones and green tones. I am VERY happy with the results.



Supplies:
Classy Pak Nov 2009 Kit
Merry & Bright Collection
Nov. 09 Pak, Kit 3
3 12x12 Merry & Bright Patterned Papers
2 12x12 Chili Cardstock*
1 set Merry & Bright Die Cut Shapes and Phrases
1 yd Brown Ribbon

Ornaments For My Son and Pet

Every year I paint an ornament for my son ... and this year we added a cat - Bully - to the household...so my son wanted him to have an ornament as well.

The round canvas ornaments are painted by me, using a Lorrie Weber design. The kitty cat is actually an ornament painted by my friend Pat, which I thought was PERFECT for our fur baby, Bully.

Why I Love My Artist Friends

Throughout the year I join swaps, paint for myself and others...and over the years I've manage to create a wonderful collection of Christmas items - namely Santas. here is just one of many displays I have been creating throughout my house, with wonderful Santa's painted by not just myself, but other wonderful artists like Deb Malewski, Yvonne Kresal whose Santas are in the pic.

Merry Christmas All .. I hope everyone stops to enjoy the season while hustling and bustling doing shopping and planning for the holidays.

Quick Merry Christmas Gifts For Friends and Co Workers

One simple line drawing from Lorrie Weber at Toletown, gave me all these cute gifts to give this season to friends. Swaps online, secret Santa swaps at work ... I put Lorrie's Santa line drawing/design on boxes of various sizes and used canvas coasters for ornaments (makes shipping cheaper when you mail).

There is still time to paint or craft something quick and easy to give to your friends this year. Just look around that stash of surfaces and start creating. All the items in this pic took 3 hours to complete.

Great Last Minute Gift Tutorial!

LuLu Bird Baby has a great little covered notebook tutorial. I think this is wonderful as a last minute gift item!

Paper Ornaments

I hope everyone had a productive weekend. I am halfway to finishing everything that I need - tomorrow is crunch, as I have to finish 4 orders and get them in the mail.

Today - was the fun stuff:

Paper Ornaments using Brenda Walton templates and paper:

All Our Children Need A Little Bit Of This ... Everyday

Amazon Does 25 Days Of Christmas Music - For Free

Amazon is posting free Christmas music for 25 days of Christmas.


You need to download their free downloader...but the music is nice. It also automatically loads in ITUNES, if you have it.

Some Goodies Out There For Christmas!

So many people out there willing to share their great ideas with us!! Thanks to all who are so giving for sharing your talents with us - for free! If you guys come across a good idea or project - pass it on!!


Free Printable Christmas Tags - over 135 pages!

Recycle Glass Bulbs!!!

Polished To Perfection Scrap Tree

The Original Printable's Holiday Countdown


Tim Holtz 12 Tags Of Christmas

Nina's Altered Christmas Project Countdown

Christmas Beyond The Page Ideas